The Doctor and The Baker

In a small town, full of small homes, there were two small taverns. The streets were lined with chunky cobble stones causing the echoes of footsteps to linger and wander about. The approaching winter winds bring short days and long nights. A reminder that soon it will be night all day. In preparation, the mage’s apprentice was casting each lamp post with an undying flame, while others were harvesting crops and gathering goods from the forest that wrapped around the bottom of the town. When the day was night the woods seemed to awaken from an enchanted slumber. It was during this time that the forest was left to itself to regrow and reclaim what was lost. The time when night was day and day was night brought all manner of creatures who awoke with the forest. They skidded and hobbled their way through the small town all the while enduring watchful gazes from the townspeople.

The two small taverns stood directly opposite from one another, separated by a narrow street not quite wide enough to fit anything other than those on foot. The tavern on the left was founded by former doctor Gideon Blake after losing his medical license; appropriately named The Apothecary. It attracted beings of all shapes and sizes, particularly those wandering travellers who traipse between the villages when the day was night. The Apothecary was known for the array of mead Gideon managed to stock, no doubt the travellers played an integral part in its collection. The tavern on the right was founded by former doctor Blake's brother Josiah, exactly two months to the day after his brother's medical license was revoked and The Apothecary was opened. From the perspective of on-lookers, Josiah seemed to feel it necessary to poke his brother's ego and named the tavern on the right The Chemist. This tavern was founded for the town’s people who didn’t want to deal with the sometimes precarious and questionable travellers.

Much controversy and speculation linger on and around the Blake family name. At an earlier point in their lives, the brothers' parents, Mr and Mrs Blake, held respectable titles and were heavily involved members of the town. Narkista Blake was the only daughter of the town’s previous mage. A man who placed more emphasis on his work and knowledge than anything else, Narkista was an afterthought and was left alone to find her place in the world. The story of her appearance was a mysterious secret and one of many the mage went to his grave keeping. All that is known is one spring, after the day was night, the mage emerged from the forest holding the tiny bundle that he claimed was his kin. From then on, every time the day was night the mage would retreat to the forest for the duration. Every time he would emerge, the mage would be more reclusive and strange, leading people to cross the street when he was approaching. Finally, when the stress of his presence was too much, his title was stripped and his position handed to a more suitable member of the town and longtime rival: Hedelis Langston, who remains mage to this day. Upon his dismissal, the mage confined himself to a cabin deep within the forest and was not seen until some travellers brought his corpse from the forest many years later. Narkista buried her father out of duty and continued with her studies in medicine, a “tangible” magic that, in her mind, would keep her away from living the same life her father had.

Ashford Blake and Narkista met two years after her father had been laid to rest. Ashford was a wandering merchant who seemed to magically procure many rare and highly sought after herbs and medicinal remedies. Narkista, who was the doctor’s assistant, found great value in the goods Ashford would bring. It was not long before the two of them became inseparable. The town was brought together for a week of festivities in celebration of the marriage of Ashford and Narkista Blake. Following the ceremonies, the couple took to the road and spent three years traversing the country before returning to Narkista’s hometown and settling in a beautiful cottage in the west of the town that bordered the forest.

Three summers after their return to the small town, Ashford and Narkista welcomed their first-born son. Initially, Gideon’s arrival appeared to bring much happiness to the new parents, but matters were more complicated behind closed doors. A child who held great promise was causing the happy couple to bicker and their relationship to deteriorate. Angry words began to spew from the Blake home and into the ears of their neighbours causing rumours to spread through the streets like wildfire. Questions and concerns began arising but whenever opinions were voiced, both Ashford and Narkista denied the evident cracks. When little Gideon turned two, his younger brother Josiah was born. Upon his arrival into the family, Ashford and Narkista hired a governess to look after the boys.

Ms Celeste Page was a Dwarven woman who rode into town holding the governess job posting tightly in her boulder of a fist. As the only person who answered the posting (seeing as the townspeople thought it best not to get involved with the Blake family and their business), Ms Page was given the job immediately after rapping on the front door of the Blake home. Narkista, who had given birth to Josiah only days before, answered and upon hearing what business the stranger had, she handed off the small crying bundle in her arms. Ms Page walked through the house and found Gideon sitting quietly in his room playing with a wooden horse. The next day Ashford and Narkista set off and did not return to the small town for a few months; thus, the cycle of parental neglect once again became standard practice. Ms Page, however, fell in love with the two young boys almost instantly, and in turn they loved her just as much. The stale angry air that hung over the Blake cottage soon dissipated and happiness returned.

When the boys were sixteen and fourteen respectively, Ms. Page seemed to vanish overnight, leaving the boys to their own, prompting the formal dissolution of the Blake family. Heavy and mysterious air hung between the brothers, causing much of the gossip around town. But it was the brothers' parents who were talked about the most, as they had not been seen or heard from since the dissolution; some assumed foul play, others thought the parents were the real evil. If anyone wanted to know, they never would, as the brothers refused to speak even a word about it, mainly communicating in grunts and humphs. As their lives were left for them to decide, Gideon took it upon himself to attempt to restore the family name and wandered into the medicinal practice, eager to take his mother’s place. His dedication to his studies was far above those of his peers and soon gained a high amount of favour within the medical community. Josiah felt drastically different; determined to finally remove his brother's shadow (and those of his parents) he elected a more humble career as a baker.

Following the diverting paths, the brothers were never seen interacting or even acknowledging one another’s existence. Initially it was all very strange, but it was soon forgotten and the boys were able to live their lives free of the gossip and rumours that seemed to follow them wherever they wandered around the small town. However, when Gideon lost his medical license, the townspeople were quick to judge and compare Gideon to his mother, who had also been a huge disappointment to the town. Upon the opening of his tavern and Gideon's open encouragement and acceptance of all manner of creatures becoming regulars in the town, the gossip mounted even higher. When Josiah was seen brazenly challenging his brother by opening a tavern right across the street, the gossipy narrative shifted, causing the town to become divided. Those who welcomed strangers and wanderers pledged their loyalty to Gideon and The Apothecary, meanwhile those with a more traditionalist point of view stood behind Josiah and The Chemist. And so the town has remained, pulled apart by the Blake's and forced to live with the scars of a once highly promising family.

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The odd-looking stranger seemed to glide through the narrow streets, headed towards The Apothecary, which was no surprise to any whose suspicions had arisen. Side glances followed the stranger through the tavern doors and up to the bar, behind which stood Gideon with his back turned.

“I’ll have the mead from the Dwarven village, I hear you are the one who keeps it in stock and I haven’t had the taste of it on my tongue in quite some time.” The stranger spoke with a higher than expected pitch, that was somehow gravelly at the same time. Gideon’s brow stitched together as he turned his head to peek at the stranger before fully turning his body, bringing him face to face with the ugliest creature he had ever laid eyes on. There was hair where there shouldn’t be, and no hair where there should be. Everything about this creature was backwards. The cloak was the colour of skin, with skin an odd ashy shade. The eyes seemed fully popped out of their sockets, and bounced with the stranger’s words. The creature was holding two stones in open palms that were stretched out to Gideon in offering. The puzzle that enveloped the stranger that played in Gideon’s mind was not displayed on his face. He grunted his response and went to the cask with Dwarven runes etched into the side. Bringing the brimming glass back to the stranger, Gideon raised his left eyebrow and held up two fingers. The stranger nodded, then proceeded to struggle squeezing their eyes shut yet managed to accomplish the task after a few long and staggering deep breaths. The two stones in the outstretched hands floated into the air, swirled around, spinning faster and faster before abruptly stopping. The stranger touched them together and two coins clanked onto the bar. Satisfied, the stranger hid the two stones back into its palms and handed the coins over. Gideon, whose facial expression again remained neutral, put the coins in his pocket and turned around, getting back to the task he was doing before being interrupted.

Not that the task was overly interesting, Gideon just needed a moment to process the sight he had just witnessed. The strange creature was something he had never even heard of before and being a tavern keeper there had been a host of unusual characters frequenting his establishment. From behind him, Gideon could hear the creature humming while simultaneously drinking, an impressive feat to say the least. There was something eerily familiar about the tune that sent shivers through his body causing every hair to stand on end. He heard the empty glass slam on the bar, and with a burp and a bye the stranger left. Gideon waited until he heard the tavern door creak shut before turning around. The empty glass sat on the bar with a crumpled note underneath. Slowly he grabbed the glass in one hand and picked up the note with the other. Putting the glass in the wash bin he stepped into the back before unfolding the note and reading it. There was only one word on it, and it made his heart stop, his hands tremble, and his face white.

Across the street in The Chemist, Josiah absentmindedly watched a very unusual looking guest enter his brother’s tavern as it was an everyday occurrence. Not giving it a second thought, Josiah went back to kneading the dough on the table in front of him. As a trained, and highly skilled pastry artist, Josiah felt his tavern would stand high above the rest if he had a rotating selection of fresh treats available for his patrons. He knew he would not be able to rival his brother’s mead collection and thus lent into his own skills to stand apart. The bell above the tavern door jingled in welcome, alerting Josiah to an arriving guest. Upon hearing the familiar chime, he dusted off his flour covered hands on his already flour covered apron and went to stand behind the bar to greet the one who entered. Josiah’s eyebrows stood on end as he laid eyes on the face of the creature whose back he had just watched enter the tavern on the left. Firstly, he was shocked that the stranger felt comfortable enough to enter his institution, as he and his regular patrons ensured that most would have heard it is unwelcoming to outsiders. Secondly, he was taken aback at the hideous sight of the being in front of him, who appeared to be smiling but Josiah couldn’t be sure that was the intended facial expression.

“I hear you are the one to come to if I am looking for a splendid loaf.” The creature seemed to croak yet also sing as it spoke. Josiah did his best to suppress his array of emotions, and smiled at the stranger. The stranger had eyes that wobbled around, making it hard to look directly into them, but Josiah put his best effort forward.

“I sure am, was just about to put some in the oven if you don’t mind waiting. Then it’ll be nice and fresh.” Josiah said to the stranger. The stranger's eyes nodded their agreement as its off grey and weird beige colour ensemble of a body settled into the bar stool. Josiah went around back and finished getting the dough ready before paddling it into the clay oven. Soon the tavern was filled with the sweet doughy aroma of baking bread. Much to Josiah's dismay, the stranger was the only one in the tavern, as its presence discouraged the regular clientele (who were peering in through the windows) from entering. Josiah put his bother aside since he found the stranger to be quite intriguing, considering it had just come from his brother's tavern, The Apothecary. Walking back to stand behind the bar, he could hear a quiet song coming from the seated stranger, which sounded eerie to his ears and prompting him to hastily spark up a conversation.

“Do you have a name?” Josiah asked.

“I have many, but you can call me Alvaro Aubiquer.” was the reply.

“Nice to meet you, Alvaro. Have you come upon our small town by chance or has business brought you?” Josiah asked with deep interest in continuing the conversation.

“The answer to that would be business I suppose. How much for the loaf?” Alvaro seemed keen on a change of subject, a hint which Josiah understood immediately. He smiled and held up three fingers. Alvaro's hands unfolded from one another and were moved from their place on its lap and onto the top of the bar with palms facing up towards the ceiling. Alvaro managed to close its eyes in what looked to Josiah like a very painful struggle. From the center of each palm came a small stone. The stones rose into the air and began spinning. Then they stopped and as Alvaro touched them together three coins dropped onto the bar.

“I will take my loaf now.” Alvaro said as the stones melted back into its palms. Josiah was about to protest, as the dough needed more time, but it held up a hand signalling him to remain silent. He simply gave the stranger a small nod before disappearing into the back to retrieve the half-cooked loaf. After carefully wrapping it in a warm cloth, he walked back to Alvaro and placed it gently into its hands. Alvaro took a deep inhale of the steam emanating from the small bundle it was holding and retreated out of the tavern. Josiah stared after the stranger deep in thought before a small crumpled piece of paper left behind on the bar took his attention away and offered a distraction. Unable to contain his curiosity, he grabbed the note and gently unfolded it. Written on it was a single word; a word that brought hellish memories and a disgusting taste to his mouth, making him instinctively heave onto the floorboards at his feet.

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